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Month: August 2014

I’ll throw this out there right away. The original Infamous is one of my favorite games of all time. It was a perfect superhero origin story that blended action, drama, and compelling gameplay into one heroic package. Infamous 2 was also a great game but it didn’t reach the heights of its predecessor.

When Infamous Second Son was announced I was hoping to experience the same euphoric rush the first game gave me.

What I got was… almost there… again.

To start with the positives – Infamous Second Son is a gorgeous looking game. It was the first game I got for my new PS4 and it really showcased how powerful Sony’s new system is. Aside from the outstanding graphics, the controls were fluid and responsive; as one would expect from an Infamous game.

The main culprit here is the story. Infamous one had an amazingly simple story of a guy being bestowed with super powers he didn’t want. The duration of the game involved him fending off villains, handling relationships and the entire thing came to a head at the end with an extremely clever twist. Infamous 2 had great gameplay but the story wasn’t all there; in fact, it kind of disappointed me.

That’s the same reaction I felt with Second Son’s story. The game stars Delson Rowe, a 24-year-old hooligan with nothing better to do then spray paint walls. He has an older brother, Reggie, who is a cop and constantly telling Delson how he doesn’t contribute to society. These two brothers are so polar opposite it’s corny.

Anyway, Delson discovers he has latent powers and uses them to go after the main antagonist of the game, Augustine. She brings arm to his family at the beginning of the game.

Once it’s established what kind of person Delson is and what kind of powers he has, Infamous Second Son kind of takes a backseat to the story. Delson meets other people with powers, he continues to hunt Augustine and that’s pretty much it. There’s no big revelation or any surprising moments in the game’s narrative that makes for an awe moment.

The main reason to play Infamous Second Son is for the incredible gameplay. With it’s lighting fast action, responsive controls, and sheer excitement, you’ll find many reasons to procrastinate and play this game.

Remember back in the late 1980s – early 90s when BetaMax and VHS tapes battled? I’m sure that was the high point of technology at the time; say for everything the military has secretly covered up.

Watch_Dogs makes all of that look pale in comparison. It’s a very fun, technological romp of a good time. It has guns, hand-to-hand combat, and a whole lot of computer hacking.

The game stars batman-wanna-be Aiden Pearce. At the very beginning of the game his wife and daughter die by the hands of hit men who were trying to kill Aiden. From that point on he vows revenge against the people who killed them.

Honestly, I found the story extremely hard to pay attention to because of how bland it was. When something is about as interesting as mowing a lawn my mind tends to wander elsewhere. Basically, Aiden meets up with a fellow hacker named Clara. She’s also an extremely good hacker who looks like a Slipknot fan with a sexy accent.

Anyway, Clara and Aiden team up to take down these gang dudes who killed Aidens family all while his sister and nephew get kidnapped by some lunatic. It just wasn’t his week.

But as you can tell, the story is a very typical affair. What really shines in Watch_Dogs is the gameplay. With Aidens cell phone you can hack into just about anything; from other cell phones, to laptops, to ATMs. The city of Chicago is yours to own with your small hand-held device. This makes for interesting online gameplay as players from all over the world can jump into your game and hack your device effectively stealing your stuff.

I’m not much of an online gamer and got my ass handed to me by some hacker (I’ll find you!) but it was a very different way of playing an online game that I can see people getting the hang of and having fun with.

Though very fun, Watch_Dogs isn’t without its problems. The main problem stems from a key component in the game, the driving. Driving around the massive city of Chicago feels like you’re driving a very slippery boat. All the vehicles (even motorcycles) feel top-heavy and very stiff. It’s nearly impossible to round a corner without sliding into an oncoming car or pedestrian. This makes for some VERY frustrating segments. You’d need to have the patients of a Buddhist Monk to not throw a fit.

All in all Watch_Dogs is a fun game but it’s not without its flaws. It has very promising elements; the hacking and gunplay/combat are top notch. Though the driving and story are sub par. It feels like a game that a sequel would greatly improve upon.